The Alberta government expects a continuing care centre at Willow Square to be completed by the end of 2019, with people moving into the facility in the spring of 2020.

During a Wednesday morning tour of Japan Canada Oil Sands’ (JACOS) Hangingstone facility south of Fort McMurray, Premier Rachel Notley confirmed the province expects to have a contractor selected for the project by January.

“We suspect to see shovels in the ground next spring,” she told reporters during a tour of the facility. “We are moving forward very consistently, very determinedly and we are committed to getting that project completed here in Fort McMurray.”

The building, which is expected to cost $110 million to complete, will have 144 spaces and room to expand with the community. The new centre will be operated as a home providing both medical services and programs for seniors, as well as younger physically disabled adults.

“People should know they’re not going to be hearing about equivocation or making the decision yet again, but that in fact we are committed to delivering on that promise to the people of Fort McMurray,” said Notley.

A site plan in the supporting documents set aside approximately 70 per cent of the 4.06 acres in downtown Fort McMurray for continuing care services, with the remaining 30 per cent dedicated to an aging-in-place facility, which is a separate project.

The spot at the corner of Hospital Street and Franklin Avenue has dominated local politics since at least 2006, when former premier Ed Stelmach first announced the land was a priority.

In 2008, Stelmach announced plans to begin building a $35-million, 48-bed long-term care centre. The next year, then-health minister Ron Liepert said the project was no longer a priority for the province, due to Wood Buffalo’s growing younger population.

“It’s wonderful to see a reconfirmation out in the public, that this project is very much a reality and coming to fruition,” said Mayor Melissa Blake, who was also on the tour. “It still is a very solid sign that this is happening.”

Blake, who is not running for re-election this fall, said the next mayor and council should learn as much as they can about the project and continue working with the municipality’s Advisory Committee on Aging.

Joan Furber, a committee member and president of the Golden Years’ Society of Fort McMurray, said she was cautiously optimistic about Notley’s promise.

The project has already seen multiple delays, false starts and broken promises, she argued, leaving many seniors and their families wary of new announcements. But based on her own interactions, she said she believes the province wants to see the project completed soon.

“I do believe this government is seeing this as a priority,” she said. “We had to have the opposition help us and a party in power that’s not represented here help us. It would be lovely if they can finish ahead of time.”